Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries): Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) was 11.8% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
Analysis
In 2025, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) stood at 11.8%. That is the lowest value across all 35 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and down 22.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) peaked at 25.6% in 1995 and was at its lowest, 11.8%, in 2025.
Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 38th of 47 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries), year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 24.4% | — |
| 1992 | 24.9% | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 24.6% | -1.0% |
| 1994 | 25.3% | +2.7% |
| 1995 | 25.6% | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 25.2% | -1.3% |
| 1997 | 23.9% | -5.3% |
| 1998 | 23.8% | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 24.7% | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 23.9% | -3.3% |
| 2001 | 22.9% | -4.1% |
| 2002 | 21.8% | -5.0% |
| 2003 | 21.2% | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 19.7% | -7.0% |
| 2005 | 19.1% | -3.4% |
| 2006 | 18.3% | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 17.4% | -4.9% |
| 2008 | 17.0% | -2.1% |
| 2009 | 16.7% | -2.1% |
| 2010 | 16.6% | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 16.5% | -0.5% |
| 2012 | 16.1% | -2.4% |
| 2013 | 15.8% | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 15.5% | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 15.2% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 14.8% | -2.5% |
| 2017 | 14.4% | -3.1% |
| 2018 | 14.0% | -2.6% |
| 2019 | 13.6% | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 13.7% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | 13.4% | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 13.0% | -3.3% |
| 2023 | 12.5% | -3.9% |
| 2024 | 12.1% | -3.3% |
| 2025 | 11.8% | -1.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 24.7% | 23.8% | 25.6% | 9 |
| 2000s | 19.8% | 16.7% | 23.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.3% | 13.6% | 16.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.7% | 11.8% | 13.7% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
More agriculture & rural data for Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 12.69 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 298.09 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 4.2% (2025)
- Rural population 142.68 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Rural population 30.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.4% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.6% (2021)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3085 units per person (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) was 11.8% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO).
- What is the highest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The highest recorded value was 25.6% in 1995.
- What is the lowest employment in agriculture (% of total employment) recorded in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.8% in 2025.
- How does Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) rank for employment in agriculture (% of total employment)?
- Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) ranks 38th out of 47 groups with data for 2025.
- Is employment in agriculture (% of total employment) rising or falling in Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 22.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries) data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates database (ILOEST), International Labour Organization (ILO), published as part of Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Employment is defined as persons of working age who were engaged in any activity to produce goods or provide services for pay or profit, whether at work during the reference period or not at work due to temporary absence from a job, or to working-time arrangement. The agriculture sector consists of activities in agriculture, hunting, forestry and fishing, in accordance with division 1 (ISIC 2) or categories A-B (ISIC 3) or category A (ISIC 4).